citbtiss



G. H. CURTISS. '.TWlN FLQAT HYDROMENJVPLAIME.y lAPPucATIoN mso Alm.12.1 9xa.

Patent@ June 17, 1919.

JSHEETS--SHEET 3.

. NVENTOR" 1 GLENN HJC/Umm@ ATTORNEY G. H. CURTISS.

Iwm non HYDHQAEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. I2. |916., YN

Patened June 1f,` 1919.

5 5HEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR GLENN HCUR-ns ATTORNEY Paened June 1T, 1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVENTQFQ GLeNN H QURTiasf? G. H) CURTISS.

TWIN FLOAT HYDROAEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I2. IBIS. x i'nvnivd luu II, IIIISI,

UNTER STAT@ GLENN H. CURTISS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CURTISS EROPLANE AND MOTOR CORPORATION, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATON OF NEW YORK.

TVIN-FLOAT HYDROAER-OPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-eil linie t?, MHS).

To o/ Milioni 'it muy concern.'

Be it known that l, (irnnNN Il. Cini'riss, a citizen of the United States, residing at luttalo. iii the countiY ot' llriel and Statel of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lfwinlt`loatJ llydroaeroplanes, ot which the tollowiiig is a specification.

This invention relates te aircraft and has reterence more particularly to airplanes otl the land and hydro types.

Thl invention is characterized by an iniproved arrangement ot the land-ing gear or chassis struts. '.lhe landing gear per se coniprises landing devices (preterabl)v pontooiis, although not necessarily) inountiedbeneath the supporting sui-tace or surfaces symmetricalli at. opposite. sides o't' the 'fuselage or body ole the craft together with struts arranged to tra nsverselv diverge downwardly 'troni the supporting surface preferably 'troni points directly beneath the oiitei ends otI the central panel thereot'. The machine illustrated is ot' the liiplane type. Each ot' the supporting surt'aces ot' the machine is privided with a central panel. These panels terminate preferably in the longitudinal vertical plane olE the longitudinal center lines ot the pontoon and they are interconnecttal by wing posts so arranged between t'lieiii that. the transversely and downwardly diverging struts` provide in etlect, substantial contiiiiiatioiis thereof. lt' desired the pontoonsn'iay be braced laterally as illustrated. 36 Other characteristics of the invention will be hereinafter pointed out and the invention precisely set forth in the appended l claims. "i ln the drawings wherein l have illus- 40 "itrated the speeilic embodiment ot' my invention which l consider preferred:

Figure l is a perspective view ol the coni.

plete machine;

`Fig. 2 isa side elevation;

Fig. Il is a, trout, elevation with `the sup? porting planes partl v broken away;

llig. il is a top plan view similarly charactici'ized': i

Fig. 5 is a. diagraninnitie view illustrat- 5i0 ing the pontoon pumping syst/ein;

liig. (i is a view illustrating diagrai/nniatzicallv the pontoon pumping' s vsteni 'from a dillereiit ane'le. and

Fie'. i' is a t etait view of the tail pontoon.

Lilie numerals of reference designate like equipped with an underneath or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

l`he bod)v ot the cratt7 designated in its entirety b v the numeral 10, is constructed in fuselage torni and equipped with coelipits ll tandemlv arranged both att ot. ,the centrer ot' gravity et the machine to counterbalance `in part the weight ot the propelling' power plant located ahead thereot and designated 12. Staggered superposed planes l?) ot unequal spread constitute with ailerons 14, elevator [taps l5. a rudder lt. a ver tical stabilizer 1T7 aiid a horizontal stabilizer 18. the several aero'l'oils essential to lliglit'. rlhe detail construction and arrangement ol' these aerot'oils with respect to the fuselage and to each otliei',is immaterial in so tar as the remaining structural 'tentures artY coiicerned.

llpon reterence to Fig. il, it will be noted that cach supporting' plane 'lil is made up ol connected sections or panels and that the central wing panel ot each, designated lil'.

is of a size to overhang or extend latcrallvY considerablv bevond the sidesot the fuselage lt). rlliis particular arrangement ali'orils a better base or support tor the llotat'ion bodies or main pontoons. rlhe pontoons. ot which there are two. inch designated in itsl en* tiretv bv the numeral lt). constitute. with appropriate struts the iindercari'iage or landing gear 'for the machine.

llach pontoon l!) is ot a substantially streamline torni. pointed fore and att, and hydroplaning surface ot suitabledcsign. lfroni the prow atti. the. lrvdroplanng bottoni ot each pontoon extends downwardtv and rear\\'ardl.v to a pointl 2t) where itextends rear\\"ardlv snbstantiallv horizontally to the stern. 'i`hel h vdroplaningl bottoni ol' each pontoon l havel designated 21. ln machines o ll this char` act'er it'- is preterrial thatv the center oi liydroplane litt lic located ahead ol the center ol pressure and that the pontoons tor the major part extend forwardly bevond a line in the vertical plane thereot.

lnverted V-arrangcd struts 22 depend. in the vertical plalne ot cent-ral\\'ing panel wing posts 2li. Atroni the underneath surlace ot the lower support-ing plane to the respceh tive pontoons. the diverged terminals ofthe mating strtits engaging" with the pontoons adjacent opposite sides thereof and as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and A forward sinl gle diagonal strut 24' is positioned intermediate theforward inverted V-arranged struts -of each pontoon to brace the forwardly ex tending portion of the pontoon to the lower supporting plane and to the oint where the forward inverted V-ar'range struts engage. Lateral diagonal struts 25 diverge from the under side of the fuselage to theopposed pontoons. These struts not-only brace the pontoons against lateral displacement but afford with the invertedA V-arranged struts 22 a relatively wide base and accordingly a perfectly rigid support for the pontoons.

The pontoons, as illustrated, are mounted in a horizontal plane beneath and at o pp0s1te` sides of the fuselage '(as suggested) lin thel approximate vertical plane of the central wing panel terminals. The impact .in landing 1s thus transmitted dlrectly, umformly, opposite .and diagonally to the blplane cell formed by the central wing panels. Ap-

1 novement is partly immersed; Many machines, to obviate this contlngency, are provided with what are known as tail pontppns.

Such pontoons, heretofore, in structure and vform possess characterlstics of the main pontoons and accordingly in flight offer resistance entirely disproportionate to the useful.

function which they serve. -By the present invention it is proposed to materially decrease the head resistance and at the same timeprevent immersion of the-empennage i while landing or hydroplaning.' yThe tail pontoon, designated in its entirety by the numeral 27, designed for this purpose is characterized by a longitudinal cross sectional configuration enerally complemental to the underneath tall end formation of the fuselage and the general shape of a pyramid.

Y In length, the tail pontoon is incomparable with the maln vpontoons 19. From its forward end aft, the underneath surface of the tail ontoon inclines downwardly and rearwardly in much the same manner as the forward hydroplaning surface of the main pon- `toon except that the chines or lower marginal edges ofthe tail pontoon converge rearwardly 1n streamline form to the tail post. The stern post ordlnarily located at the extreme after end of the fuselage structure is continued beyond the underneath surface thereof in the present instance to serve as the stern post of the tail pontoon. The sides of the :pontoon in reality are but continuations o the vertical sides of the fu lage beneath and against which the tail ntoon is from the interior ofthe fuselageand from .each side thereof, one to each of several secured or made as an integral part. Braces 28' extenld diagonally from the horizontal stabilizer 18 to the stern post of the tall pontoon.

As a further aid in elevating the tall end of the machine while hydroplaning I have equipped the tail pontoonl with a flexible paddle. This paddle is designated 27 and' made 'secure against e underneath surface of the tail pontoon t extend slightly rear'- v75 wardly therebeyond in prolongation of the integral hydroplaning surface formed upon the pontoon itself. In action the paddle is designed tov flex and to a certain extent cushion the impact occasioned when 'alighting or hydroplaning. The stern post beneath which the paddle is arranged affords an axis about Whlch it is designed to flex' or' oscillate. Moreover, the paddle acts eifec. tually as a guard 'for the tail pontoon-zi c., it prevents contact of the pontoon with 4the ground in the event of loperation upon or 1 over exceedingly shallow water. In referring to the drainage systemfor the main ponto/ons illustrated diagram maticallygin Ifigs. 5 and 6, 29 designates a suction pump either hand operated or power driven. Leads (preferably flexible) extend watertight compartments formed interiorly of the main pontoons. The pontoons, as indicated, are divided bothtransversely and longitudinally into non-communicating'compartments' by watertight bulkheads 30.

ach pontoon is preferably divided into six compartments whereby in the drainage system twelve leads are required. From the fuselage to the pontoons, the leads extend, six at each side, contiguous to the forward diagonal struts 25 with which they are streamlinedy and to which they are secured by any suitable means. In draining thev pontoons it is but necessary that thv` pump eoperated after having first been attached to the lead extending `from the compartment required to be drained. i v' VWhile in the foregoing there has been illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, such combination and .arrangement-of elements as constitute the prev ferred construction or embodiment of the invention, it `is nevertheless desired to' emphasize the -fact that an interpretation o f the invention should only be conclusive when made in the light of the siibjoined claims. v

What is claimed is:

l. In an aircraft, a fuselage',fpontoons mounted beneath and syn'imetrically at opposlte sides of the fuselage, superposed supporting surfaces each including a central, panel, the length of thecentml panels being such'that the ends thereof terminate in the longltudmal vertical plane of the respect-ive '.180

ioavee e;

' panel, the length of the central panels being such that the ends thereof terminate in the `longitudinal vertical pla-ne of the respective longitudinal center lines of the pontoons,

Wing posts interconnecting' the supportingsurfaces at their ends, and chassis struts invertedly Vnarranged, the apio-es of the in- 1l'erte'd il-struts engaging directly beneath and in alinenient with said Wing posts.

3. ln an aircraft, a fuselage, pontoons inounted beneath and at opposite sides of the fuselage, superposed supporting surfaces each including a central panel, the length of the central panels being such that the ends thereof terminate in the longitudinal ver- .tical plane of the respective longitudinal center lines of the pontoons, Wing posts interconnecting the central panels at their ends, chassis struts arranged to diverge syniinetrically downwardly from the bottom supporting surface directly 'beneathv said Wing posts, and means inclining upwardly and inwardly from the respective pontoons for connection with the fuselage.

l. ln an aircraft, a fuselage, pontoons mounted beneath and at opposite sides of the fuselage, superposed supporting surfaces including central panels of a length sufficient to extend considerably beyond the sides of the fuselage, Wing posts interconnecting the panels at their ends, chassis struts arranged to converge upwardly from the pontoons for connection with the central panel of the lower supporting surface in alineinent with the Wing posts, and Wiring for the central panels arranged to extend inwardly and upwardly from the foot of each Wing post to brace the lower center panel at the points Where 'the chassis struts engage.

5. ln an airplane, a fuselage, a supporting surface including a central panel, landing devices .mounted beneath the supporting surface and symmetrically at opposite sides of the fuselage with their longitudinal center lines in the longitudinal vertical plane of the ends of the panel, and struts transversely downwardly divergent from the ends of the panel for the support of the landing devices.

6. In an airplane, a fuselage, a supporting surface-including a central panel, landing devices mounted beneath the supporting surface and symmetrically at opp sides of the fuselage with their longitudinal center lines in the loiigitluliual vertical plane of the ends of the panel, and

transversely downwardly divergent from,

the ends of the panel. for the support of the landing devices, i

7. vln an airplane, a fuselage, a supporting surface including a cent 'al panel, landw ing devices mounted beneath the supporting surface and symmetrically at opposite siues of the fuselage with their longitiulinal center lines in the longitudinal vertical plane of the ends of the panel, struts tranlisverscly dnwnwardly divergent from. the ends of the panel for the support of the landing devices,

and means for bracing the. landing devices against laterally directed shocks.

8, In an airplane, a fuselage, superposed supporting surfaces including a lower cen-- tral panel, wing posts mounted at 'the ends of the panel to interconnect the supporting surfaces, landing devices mounted beneath. the supporting surfaces symmetrically at opposite sides of the fuselage with their longitudinal center lines in the longitudinal ver-- tical plane of the ends of 'the panel, and transversely divergent strut connections lie-- tween the landing devices and said panel, the upper strut ends engaging the panels rospcctively directly beneath said postsl 9, ln an aircraft, a fuselage, a tail pontoon ofY a construction designed for fitting engagement close up under the tail end of the fuselage, and a ineans continuing the underneath surface of the pontoon rear Wardly beyond the stern post of the inachine.

l0. ln an aircraft, a fuselage, a tail poni toon of a construction designed for fitting engagement close up under the tail end of the fuselage,and a flexible nie-ans continu ing the underneath surface of the tail perf toon rearwardly' beyond the stern post of the craft," the stern post directly enga @fing with said means to afford an anis of fl` l1. ln an aircraft, afuselage, and a i. pontoon vmounted close up under the tail of the fuselage, said 'pontoon in horizontal longitudinal section being substantially@coin-A plernental to the corresponding sectin of that portion of fuselage beneath which it is mounted; the sides of tlie fuselage and the sides of the pontoon being vertically i) il .lll 

